Support staff press claim

NZEI Te Riu Roa is in negotiations with the Ministry of Education to secure better funding for support staff in schools.

On Friday, it held a meeting in Gore to discuss what the Ministry of Education had said so far.

Mataura Primary School teacher aide Glenda West said the Ministry had a zero-increase policy on the operations grant for schools, which was where the wages of support staff came from, as well as money for bills and school maintenance.

“With the Government freezing the operations grant, it puts pressure on the school,” Mrs West said.

Schools had to choose between support staff hours and paying the bills or doing maintenance, Mrs West said.
“Children are so important. They need support. If they can’t get the support they need, they get swallowed up.